Company history

The engineering design bureau, «Konstruktorskoye byuro mashynostroyeniya» («KBM»), awarded the order of Lenin and Red Labour Banner, was founded by Decree of the State Defence Committee No.1576 of 11 April 1942 to specifically develop mortar systems.

In a short space of time, individual design groups separated by war were merged to a technically strong creative team headed by Boris I. Shavyrin who initiated and placed the work on a broad footing to satisfy army needs in mortar systems. In precarious and extremely difficult wartime conditions the KBM personnel quickly resolves various issues surfacing in use of mortars in troops, carries out manufacturer's supervision at factories and at the front itself, arranges manufacture of mortar armament that is continuously growing up in the course of war.

KBM designers developed several versions of mortars for different combat use, they refined the design of 82-, 107- and 120-mm mortars.

Creative efficient work of the design bureau was highly appreciated by the Communist Party and the Government. In 1942, design bureau head and chief designer Boris I. Shavyrin, deputy chief designer

The KBM history harbours a lot of brilliant achievements of its creative work. For example, a significant portion (about 80 percent) of mortars used in combat operations during the Great Patriotic War that played a tremendous role in the Great Victory of 1945 were developed by KBM.

The post-war period (1947 through 1956) saw the development of a system of mortars for the Soviet Army culminating in the most powerful and virtually unique piece of ordnance: the Oka 420-mm self-propelled mortar mount. Nowadays, the joint stock company «Research-and-production corporation «Konstruktorskoye byuro mashynostroyeniya» (JSC «RPC «KBM») is a major design, research and production centre engaged in development, manufacture, tests, and other activities of end-to-end creation of armament and military hardware of various types.

In the field of antitank guided weapon systems (ATGW) KBM developed the first Soviet antitank guided rocket projectile Shmel (“Bumblebee”) and the most proliferated ATGW Malyutka (“Baby”) featuring a single-channel flight control system for the first time. In 1970-80-ies, KBM developed the first ever supersonic missile Shturm (“Assault”) that formed a basis for Army guided weapon systems Shturm-V (heli-borne) and Shturm-S (self-propelled). The year of 2005 marked induction of the Army all-weather ATGW Khrizantema-S (“Chrysanthemum”) boasting spectacular specifications and performances.

JSC «RPC «KBM» is the prime developer of guided weapon systems in four armament fields:

– tactical ballistic missile systems;

– man-portable air defence systems;

– antitank guided weapon systems;

– active protection systems.

In the MANPADS category, KBM is the world leader and the only Russian company developing that type of weaponry used to effectively intercept low-flying fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Developmental work initiated back in 1960-ies produced a booming family of MANPADS: Strela-2 (“Arrow”) (the first Soviet system), Strela-2M, Strela-3, Igla-1 (“Needle”), Igla, Igla-S. KBM-developed MANPADS solved the problem of launching missiles against approaching targets, incorporated protection from flares, were capable of salvo firing. For the first time ever, KBM-developed MANPADS missiles carried a detonable propellant. Today, the Igla-S system is a MANPADS of choice and is fielded not only by the Russian armed forces but also by a great deal of foreign armies.

KBM is at the leading edge of development of tactical ballistic missile systems. Since 1970-ies, the Russian armed forces has been fielding SRTBM systems Tochka (“Point”), Tochka-U and LRTBM systems Oka and Iskander. Tochka is the first ever mobile high-precision SRTBM system. Fielded in 1980, the LRTBM Oka ranked second to none in the world but was obliterated in 1987 through 1989 in compliance with the Soviet-American treaty on Elimination of intermediate and shorter range missiles. Development of LRTBM systems continued with creation of the world-famous system Iskander.

KBM was the first to successfully face the fundamentally new research and technological challenge and developed an active protection system Arena capable of defeating most dangerous threats to an armoured vehicle thus improving its survivability on the battlefield.